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Monday, November 26, 2007

It seems like all of my best Super Son and Miss Thing moments are at bedtime. Last night when I was tucking Miss Thing in I asked if she wanted to sing a song before bed. It is usually"twinkle" or "monkeys on the bed" and she chose twinkle. We sang together in whispered tones before we started giggling at each other so hard we couldn't sing anymore. This is what sweet dreams are made of

Around Super Son's 2nd birthday he started "collecting" kisses. It started one night when I gave him extra kisses in the palms of his hands to have if he woke up in the night and needed one. Since then he has reached his hand up to wherever I have bestowed a kiss and scoops it up in his hand and pops it in his mouth "eating" it. Every now and then I give him a kissing bonanza and challenge him to pick them all up before they soak in and he giggles as he collects them all. He collects kisses from Daddy and occasionally from his Aunties, but mostly Mom. As he has gotten older there have been more and more nights that he drifts off before he gets his kisses or is busy telling a story and overlooks his collecting. Last night before bed I laid down with him and recounted the fun of a long holiday weekend, christmas tree shopping and getting to stay in your pjs all day I leaned over kissed him and watched my almost 6 year old little boy collect and eat his kiss from Mom. I love that he hasn't outgrown this yet.

Saturday night I was tucking Miss Thing into bed. We went through our list...Did you have a good day?What was the most fun?Are you going to have sweet dreams?Hugs and Kisses...Then she looks at me and says "Leave door open. Miss Thing scary monsters" This translates to Mom...leave the door open I am scared of monsters. [Insert the sound of my heart breaking] I snuggled down with her and told her all of my mommy secrets about being safe. Tucked her in again and went downstairs to bed. She slept soundly with no monster attacks. I guess monster fears are an unintended side effect of having a big brother.

Monday, November 19, 2007

I will avoid the visceral reactionary comments and let the nastiness speak for itself. Shame on you HPBC

Church rejects interfaith service on its propertyHyde Park Baptist says it didn't realize Muslims were leading annual Thanksgiving event.By Eileen FlynnAMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFFFriday, November 16, 2007

Austin Area Interreligious Ministries, the city's largest interfaith organization, announced Thursday that its annual Thanksgiving celebration Sunday had to be moved because Hyde Park Baptist Church objected to non-Christians worshipping on its property.

The group learned Wednesday that the rental space at the church-owned Quarries property in North Austin was no longer available because Hyde Park leaders had discovered that non-Christians, Muslims in particular, would be practicing their faith there. The event, now in its 23rd year, invites Jews, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Bahais and others to worship together.

Organizers had booked the gymnasium at the Quarries in July and made the interfaith aspect clear to Quarries staff at that time, said Simone Talma Flowers, Interreligious Ministries' interim director.

Several Muslim groups were acting as this year's hosts for the event. Kent Jennings, associate pastor of administration at Hyde Park, released a statement Thursday that said church leaders received a postcard about the service Monday and only then realized that it "was not a Christian oriented event."

The postcard also "promised space for Muslim Maghrib prayer and revealed that the event was co-hosted by the Central Texas Muslimaat, the Forum of Muslims for Unity, and the Institute of Interfaith Dialog," according to Hyde Park's statement.

"Although individuals from all faiths are welcome to worship with us at Hyde Park Baptist Church, the church cannot provide space for the practice of these non-Christian religions on church property," the statement said. "Hyde Park Baptist Church hopes that the AAIM and the community of faith will understand and be tolerant of our church's beliefs that have resulted in this decision."

Central Texas Muslimaat and Forum of Muslims for Unity are local Muslim nonprofit groups that promote charitable works and education. The Institute of Interfaith Dialog holds regular interfaith gatherings that aim to teach non-Muslims about Islam.

With hundreds of people expected to attend and only a few days to find another site, Muslim organizer Shams Siddiqi said they couldn't find another facility. That's when leaders at Congregation Beth Israel, Austin's largest synagogue, offered to host the celebration.

"Symbolically, that's a very good thing," Siddiqi said of the joint Jewish-Muslim endeavor.

Of Hyde Park's decision, he said it was "unfortunate that people still feel this way in this day and age."

Some Christians object to praying with people of other faith backgrounds or allowing those people to worship in their sanctuaries.

Hyde Park Baptist, an evangelical megachurch at West 39th Street and Speedway, is not a member of Interreligious Ministries, and church leaders were not planning to participate in the service, Flowers said.

Every year, a different faith group hosts the Thanksgiving event, which typically includes food, prayer, song and dance. Last year, St. Louis Catholic Church hosted. This year, because the Muslim groups did not have their own space that was large enough, they decided to rent the Quarries, a 58-acre property near MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1) and Duval Road that the church has owned since 1984.

Flowers said she was disheartened by the church's decision. "As a Christian, my first response is, what would Jesus do in this situation?" she said.

She also stressed the importance of respecting all beliefs and said Beth Israel's involvement is a blessing.

"They said, 'It's an honor to be able to provide the space, especially knowing our co-hosts are Muslims,' " Flowers said.

Synagogue leaders said they would arrange space for Muslims to make their evening prayers, Flowers said. "What a great testimony of inclusion."

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Hero Husband mentioned a month or so ago that he thought we should get the kids a dog for Christmas. We have enjoyed being pet free for about a year now... No hair, freedom to travel etc. but the time has become right. So off I go investigating breeds and shelters to find the "right" member to add to our family. We were gravitating toward the American Bulldog breed but I don't feel right about getting a dog from a breeder and they are difficult to find in a shelter. I called our old vet to let them know we were looking and was told about Jill. She and her brother Jack were left as puppies tied to a tree when their owner moved away. She is a small (30 lb) lab mix (we think there is some blue heeler mixed in there)and has a remarkably light coat. We went to take a look at her and Miss Thing squealed as Jill rolled on to her back and squirmed for belly pats. We took a family vote and brought her home.

There are some things you just don't learn until you bring a dog home. Jill loves to run. This run is very fast and remarkably bouncy. She also loves to chew and hates to come. She couldn't figure out where to potty in the first few days, but has gotten over that. She slides when she is stopping which is hilarious to watch. She runs so fast that when she is ready to stop she literally lays down on her side and slides in. She kind of resembles an overzealous baseball player. She is great on a leash and as we learned at our first meeting she loves belly pats. I think she is a really smart dog and she has remarkably good manners (looks for permission to eat the things I drop in the kitchen while cooking). The "come" call is the hardest thing right now because she is so fast and we want to train her correctly from the start. She gets a little better each day, but it is apparent that the dog next door, the goat she saw or the sniffing to be done in the grass are all more important than coming to me especially when it means getting out of her bed to go outside.

We took a leap and started calling her Jelly bean which was really cute, but Hero Husband vetoed when he heard himself scolding her for something...No Jelly Bean Down Jelly Bean... You get the drift. I think he might lose his man card for that one.

Jill just doesn't seem to fit her especially without a Jack to match. So...we are looking for suggestions. The winning suggestion gets to give her unlimited belly rubs! Current possibilities are Jenny, Milly and Harlow but please don't feel limited. Just keep the female gender in mind and the desire to retain the man card while taking her for a run.

I am afraid. Afraid of lots of little things and some big things. I don't like feeling like I am afraid of anything. I vividly recall being the girl who rode her horse no hands, arms outstretched was not afraid. How did I become the woman who is a little skittish? I can think of a few reasons...the reality of becoming a parent and worrying about your babies and being there for them, a body that doesn't bounce back quite like it used to, a husband with a job that asks him to risk a lot, but the reality of all these things is that they shouldn't make me afraid. I am the queen of rationalization. I can come up with good reason for just about anything. I refuse to come up with a good reason for this. I can manage risk, but I won't live afraid. To that end. Thank you #2 for rock climbing yesterday with me. I didn't make it to the top, but I did go half way twice and that I believe qualifies as fatigue more than fear.

Super Son told me the other night that he didn't like it when Hero Husband and I go on dates. He listed the garden variety reasons (want to go with you, don't want to stay home etc)and then asked me "WHY do you have to go on dates?" [emphasis reflects the whiney tone that has replaced his normal voice increasingly lately]. My answer was "Super Son, before there was a you or an Miss Thing there was a Shannon and Hero Husband. We liked each other a lot and decided that we wanted to be together forever. We got married and then you came along and then Miss Thing came along. You guys are amazing and make us Mommy & Daddy, but remember before that we were Shannon & Hero Husband. It is important that to be a good Mommy and Daddy we get a chance to still be Shannon & Hero Husband sometimes. That is why we go on dates". We then talked about how our family is a team and we have to work together to be a good family. We talked about how Super Son likes rockets and k'nex and is a kindergartener, a brother, a son, a cousin, a friend and that all of those things are important parts of who he is.

Earlier in the day I had been surfing myspace for an old friend from my street growing up. When I found her I really enjoyed reading about her and what she was up to and had a chance to "catch up" with her before sending her a message. I took this as a reminder that I should probably update myspace and I went about adding some more pictures of the kids. I deleted some old features and decided a'la Joy that I would fill in some info about myself [it should be noted that everyone who wants to see myspace already knows me because it is friends only]. Everything I had to say about myself related to my kids, husband, sisters and the things that they like to do. EEEKKKK Am I a person who has forgotten what she loves. Oh Crap What do I love? It is lame beyond measure that it took myspace and a sage moment with my 5 year old to remind me that yes I do have to still be Shannon or run the risk of losing her. Last time I checked she was kind of a fun person. I think I will dig her out of the closet and dust her off. By the way I love photography, reading a good book and lately exercising (I didn't see that one coming).

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About Me

I am a woman, a mother, a fireman's wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a lover of the Divine, a drinker of wine and a haver of good times. Most often found with a camera in my hands catching memories.
You can reach me at
worldaccordingtoshannon(at)gmail(dot)com